The invention relates to a process for inputting starting and destination points into electronic navigation systems of vehicles.
In a navigation system designated TRAVELPILOT, it is known, according to the brochure BP-VFW/8699901010 of Blaupunkt-Werke GmbH, to show the respective road map with the instantaneous location of the vehicle on a monitor during navigation driving. In this system, the street name or a prominent location, such as a railroad station or airport, is inputted via keys prior to navigation driving. These given destinations contained in the data storage of the navigation system are then marked in the street map on the monitor. During navigation driving, the respective location of the vehicle on the street map is plotted by compound navigation. The respective remaining straight-line distance from the destination is superimposed on the monitor as additional data.
This system has the disadvantage that the data storage of the navigation system is not extensive enough to receive all of the street map data required for navigation. Thus, it is not possible to input a predetermined house from the houses on a street as a starting or destination address, since only a limited number of prominent buildings or building complexes are stored in the data storage of the street map as possible destination points. Therefore, with this navigation system, the driver of the vehicle is, in most cases, only guided to the street inputted as destination, so that he must still search for the destination point on the street, i.e. a building with a determined house number.
In another process for inputting and storing locations and destinations in a navigation data storage known from WO 86/01442, the polar coordinates of the starting and destination points are determined with a special measuring instrument from desired maps and inputted into the corresponding storage of the navigation computer together with the scale of the map via keys and displays. During navigation driving (driving of the vehicle under the control of the navigation system), the direction and distance of the selected destination point are then displayed by the compound navigation or in other words with the determination of the instantaneous position of the vehicle on the street map during the drive. This solution has the disadvantage that great care must be taken when determining and inputting the starting and destination points by their polar coordinates. Moreover, since the respective exact address, i.e. street and house number, can sometimes not be learned from the city maps or can only be estimated when inputting destinations, such destinations can neither be exactly inputted nor accurately approached by compound navigation.